English word origin

Etymology of alarm

From Middle English alarme, alarom, borrowed from Middle French alarme, itself from Old Italian all'arme! (“to arms!, to the weapons!”), ultimately from Latin arma (“arms, weapons”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To call to arms for defense. · To give (someone) notice of approaching danger or necessary action; to rouse to vigilance; to put on the alert. · To produce a warning of approaching danger or necessary action; to emit a signal intended to rouse a recipient to vigilance or put them on the alert. · To surprise with apprehension of danger; to fill with anxiety in regard to threatening evil; to excite with sudden fear.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English alarme, alarom, borrowed from Middle French alarme, itself from Old Italian all'arme! (“to arms!, to the weapons!”), ultimately from Latin arma (“arms, weapons”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*h₂er-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionalarmeenm
Derivation mentionalarmefrm
Derivation mentionarmala · arms, weapons

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
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      "expansion": "Middle English alarme"
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      "expansion": "Old Italian"
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      "alarme#Middle_French"
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      "all'arme#Italian"
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    ],
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    ]
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        "To call to arms for defense.",
        "To give (someone) notice of approaching danger or necessary action; to rouse to vigilance; to put on the alert.",
        "To produce a warning of approaching danger or necessary action; to emit a signal intended to rouse a recipient to vigilance or put them on the alert.",
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. · Any sound or information intended to give notice of approaching danger; a warning sound to arouse attention; a warning of danger. · A device intended to warn or give notice of approaching danger. · A sudden attack; a disturbance.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English alarme, alarom, borrowed from Middle French alarme, itself from Old Italian all'arme! (“to arms!, to the weapons!”), ultimately from Latin arma (“arms, weapons”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*h₂er-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionalarmeenm
Derivation mentionalarmefrm
Derivation mentionarmala · arms, weapons

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    ],
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      "all'arme",
      "all'arme#Italian"
    ],
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      "to arms"
    ],
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      "arma#Latin"
    ]
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      "lang": "Tok Pisin",
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      "word": "alam"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for alarm →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWxhcm0